Preparing the next generation

I’m writing this from somewhere 300000 feet above Australia on my way to Indonesia.
I have been thinking about what I shared at church yesterday and how it is going to impact not only my generation but the generations to come.

Pioneering is hard work. Leaving the comfort of the known and creating a path to the unknown is not for the faint hearted as my wife tells me all the time – Gods work is not for the faint hearted.

A Samoan proverb ‘Asa le gasu o le taeao’ – getting up early in morning to clear and plant the field. It is not easy, it’s cold, it’s dark, it’s wet from the due at night and most of the time you have to carve your way through the bush.

Those who come later will enjoy and reap the benefits of the farmer who consistently paved the way.

The success of the next generation in the things of God is largely depend on the work of today’s generation. I want the next generation to stand on the shoulders of today’s leaders so they can see further and farther, to have a wider perspective and see the big picture of what God wants to do in them and through them.

The Bible says that David served his generation then he died.

Advice to today’s generation – Don’t die without leaving a legacy.
Advice to the next generation – You are not suppose to fill our shoes! Fill your own. Start from where we left off.

Why are young people IN church?

Some feedback on Facebook from some of our young people (and some not so young ones)…..Switch is our Youth Ministries at www.LifeChurch.co.nz

• Rachel hey pastor,
• M0ki and i are new to switch but wat drew us was
• #1. It was real , th word, th people, not phony
• #2. It was relatable, to our age groups , yous dnt pretend to knw our faults u do knw becos difrent ones have ben thru them. & it helped us open up n0t feel always like th ‘evilest new sinner’ etc
• #3. Theres so much on & always exciting having non repeditive games, music, fun , activities, chats, word time. Always fresh. So 4 me personaly
• Because th heart of switch is dedicated to serving our generation th attractivenes was fully God in people without their pride geting in the way. X
• Pam……..adding to that is ACCEPTANCE, FUN & THE WORD….from the youngest SWITCH member hehe,….
• Rachael i remember you saying that pastor… other churches stay years back but you want to be with God right next to him so you move with the times… that is one thing i will always remember you saying and i think thats what pulls youth into the church… you keep it pumping, fun and modern and you and your family also make it easy to respect and love you all… you never introduce yourself as Pastor but as Lui…
• Nesi hha yea i remember the first time I came to church you introduced yourself and I didn’t realise you were the Pastor til the sermon started lol!…. to answer your question Pastor EVERYTHING is relevant. The sermons are delivered with truth even when the truth is harsh lol. You know your church and the people in it. Seeing other young people on fire for God is also attractive =D makes me want to know God even more because of the changes which are evidently happening in their lives.
• Lina….. Um the thing that attracted me to Lifechurch was the fact that it was fun as well as being relevant and also very current to young people and the issues we face in our everyday lives
• Carol…….i think also that the youth are made to feel as tho they cn cme as they are..not worrying abt wat to wear. That helps them to be cmfortable, to be who they are..i reckon thats kool coz thats exactly how God takes us..THE WAY WE ARE..
• Nesi Finau Too true! Theas freedm n our church..2 display our individuality..I KNOW WHO I AM! Lord you are my identity! Shot Carol

to see more youth comments go to:  http://www.luiponifasio.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/1450/

Why are young people not in church?

Many pastors and church leaders, even parents are asking the question, ‘Why are our young people not in church?”

I asked myself this question many times in my early years as a pastor. As a church we have put a huge emphasis on reaching children and young people, which means we have to do whatever it takes to connect with them. For me personally I need to be in touch with today’s generation by trying to put myself in their shoes and what they are facing in this fast paced world.

When you are in your 40′s its hard work. Young people speak a lingo of their own, trying to read and understand coded txt / sms messages is always a mission. Lets face it, it is a culture of its own. The youth of today is quite different from when I was a young person.

Some adults tend to speak negatively about young people but I don’t blame them entirely for their behavior. They are exposed to so much at a very young age. Most young people never had a childhood that most of us adults had in our days.

As to why Young people are not in church, I think the answers lies in our own attitude toward them.

My advice to pastors and leaders is to ‘Stay in touch’ with young people.  Do whatever it takes to get into their world. Talk, txt, FB, high5, bebo, tumbler, tweet, or a good old ‘Hey wazzup man!

I think the question ‘’Why are the young people not in church”, is he wrong one to ask. Instead we need to ask ourselves, “How can we get young people to come to church and love church”.

That will open up a lot of ideas and conversation, that will lead into a mission and a strategy to reach young people. The best people to answer that question are young people themselves. When you get answers, be prepared to make some changes in your church, leadership, music, programs, preaching even the way you dress. That is if you are serious to see young people in church.

(BTW, this has been my experience in our church over the last 7 years).

SWITCH – On the Light

The Place to be this Friday Night is at The SWITCH. Our youth ministries are SWITCHing on the Friday Nights here in Rewa! This is the next generation rising up and making a SWITCH!

SWITCH ON The Light! This Friday – 7:00pm @ 550 Porchester Rd. Manurewa

Extract from Pt 3 of God, Love and Sex series

…………….. When a man and a woman enter into a marriage contract, the seal of that covenant is their union physically. To give away your virginity before marriage is far more serious than you ever thought possible…as you give away the seal to your marriage contract.

Someday you will fall in love for real with someone and marry them, and you will wish with all your heart to give them the most wonderful gift you ever could, your purity, but I remind you today you can only give it away once!

Purity is a Virtue! and young people, your virginity is a gift. It is your personal wedding gift that you give your spouse on the night of your wedding.

Girls: Don’t give it to the wrong man.

Guys: Don’t give it to the wrong woman.

Keep yourself pure.

Young People don’t give in to sexual pressure. Don’t even listen to the justification of why you should have sex before marriage.

Learn to Say NO. and here are some practical ways to say no.

10 WAYS TO SAY NO:

1. Everybody’s doing it. If that’s the case, then it shouldn’t be too hard to find someone else then?

2. If you love me you will have sex with me. If you love me, you wouldn’t pressure me. You will respect my feelings.

3. Would you like to get into the back seat? No thanks, I’d rather stay up front with you.

4. Don’t worry, I’ll use protection. You’re going to need protection if you don’t stop pressuring me.

5. Want to go to bed? No thanks, I just got up.

6. You don’t know what you’re missing. That will make two of us, because I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of finding out.

7. Try it, you’ll like it. I’m sure I will with the one I marry.

8. We’ve had sex before, what’s wrong with doing it again? That doesn’t make it right. Besides, I have the right to change my mind.

9. If you won’t sex with me then I don’t want to see you anymore. GoodBye!

10. I can’t believe you’re still a virgin! What are you waiting for? Anytime I want to I can become like you. But you can never again become like me.

Sunday Reflections

What a day! Seriously, there are Sundays and there are Sundays. There are Sundays as a pastor when you sit back and say, Why exactly do I do this??  Today was NOT one of those days. Four major events happened today at church:

 1. Kick off New Series for August: God Love & Sex

 2. Launch of New Series for Lifekids: Plane Truth

 3. BAF Sunday: Bring a Friend Sunday

 4. Communion

•  Here are some highlights…
• I started my Sunday @ 2:00am. Usually 3:00am but when you are about to preach a sermon on sex in church there’s no way you can have a deep sleep. 3 hours was enough I got up nervous and pumped at the same time. I usually get up have coffee and some biscuits. This morning I didn’t. I forgot! Honestly.
• 8:15 am walked in church. Worship Team, already praying. They put me on a stool with wheels and wheeled me in and told me to shout after a count of three. I did! great exercise to shout kill unnecessary nerves. 
• I struggled a little bit in the first service with my introduction. Preaching in Samoan on sex is not the most comfortable thing to do. It did eventually pick up. The adults were so accommodating!! I had no problems in the second service, except my sermon topic, ‘Satan’s Sex Education’, was SO HOT (literally) that I kept drinking during the sermon. My water had to be refilled!!
• Plenty of food for morning tea. Chicken soup – my favourite.
• Met a whole lot of new faces at church yesterday. It’s exciting when new people come to church. One guy came in to for the 9am service for the first time. He repented and gave his life to Jesus. He gave me a hug after the service and he was crying. He stayed for the second service. He came up for the Altar call. Gave his life to Jesus (twice in one day). After the second service he gave me another hug, this time with more tears.….he said, “I didn’t think church can be this great….I sang, I danced, I ate, laughed, I repented, I knelt, I prayed….. all in one day!!  I am going to bring my wife and kids next Sunday”.
• The worship was incredible!!!. Always great to see kids come to the front to worship. When we sang, “Moving forward” I felt great passion coming from the worshippers!
• The Worship Team did a fantastic job!! I thought the guitaring was exceptional yesterday!
• Altar call was given. We put Romans 12:1 into practice and symbolically. A lot of men came forward to present themselves to God as ‘living and holy sacrifice’: My heart beats faster when I see men respond to the Word. There is something about men admitting to their weaknesses and realizing their potential in God. To see men kneeling before God and crying out to him is POWERFUL!!
• LifeKids: what can I say!!!. The Lifekids Team took Children’s ministry to a whole-notha-level!!! New sound system, new stage, new look, new props, new curriculum. I am grateful to God for the people who give their time to minister to kids! They always miss out on what happens during the main service. BUT I think after seeing what they do……WE, the ones in the main service are Missing Out!! My kids said to me after church on the way home….Dad! Lifekids was great!! I was saying goodbye to some first time kids yesterday and asked them, …how Lifekids was!! The 4 year old said!!! Great and we love it. She then turn to her parents and said,….Dad can we come back to this church next week!!! Poor dad!! Under pressure to say yes in front of me.
• Big lunch!! Invited to Worship Team lunch. Great time with the team!! way to go Liz!! 
• Communion: always an emotional time for me. Can’t help being grateful to God. At Communion service we dedicated baby Salem!, our community clothing team and the bread team shared about what they do and how they are connecting and reaching the community. Great stuff!!
• 2 Singers: First time for the Taito brothers to sing together in church!! Watch these two boys!! Watch them develop and mature in their talent!!  
• 3 Young Preachers: I was so blessed! these young boys age 15 -19 preached with passion and conviction. They were funny and straight to the point. Huge potential. Amazed with their knowledge and ability to articulate. They only had one week to prepare and they did very well!! some proud parents last night. 
• I love this church! I love what God is doing in LifeChurch. I love what God has called us to do and as we say it all the time “The best is yet to come” and I can’t wait to see what He has right around the corner.

Weekend Reflections

Had an amazing weekend…here are a few of the highlights…

•  Friday Night – SWITCH crashed at our place…. editing movies for ‘ENDZONE’ till 6am. These people only slept for about an hour and they were up again for their breakfast briefing 7am. Committed and dedicated bunch of crazy youths. Woke me up 3 times but all good. The end result on was worth it.
•  Saturday met with our Board. Made some huge progress and Faith Decisions!! Announcements to be made later.
•  ENDZONE Saturday night was fantastic! Love hanging out with young people. Personally it helps me not to develop and ‘old spirit’ mentality. Keeps me fresh and intouch with this generation. EndZone climaxed with young people committing their lives to Christ. That’s the Purpose. Salvation! When our youth leaders shared their vision for SWITCH they stressed Salvation!! That’s a GOD vision!!  
•  Laine Sagala spoke a stirring Word Saturday night on “This Generation”. Great to see a lot young men responded to the call to make a stand for Christ and to reach this generation. Its healthy when more men respond to God and take ownership and leadership in their decisions and actions.
•  Spoke last Sunday on the “Presence of God’ (Isaiah 6). Worship yesterday was electric and the presence of God was evident in yesterday’s service. Its amazing when people respond to the Word of God. I think I am starting to believe what my friend Pastor Phil Richardson has been telling ever since he visited our church one Sunday. He said ‘You are the most charismatic non Pentecostal church I have ever seen’.
• New talent coming up!! Chris you have an amzing voice?
•  Sua Sagala preached an awesome Word on Gods faithfulness, God’s Grace and God’s Goodness. I touched on this last week in my sermon. Sua took it to whole nother level. Fantastic!  
•  There is nothing more rewarding to a pastor than to see people encounter God and walk with him passionately. I was encouraged yesterday to see that passion to pursue God in folks who came forward. 
•  CAN’T WAIT for next SWITCH Event………….I think its in September
•  Met yesterday with 3 young men I am mentoring in preaching. Their first assignment is this Sunday. They are excited and nervous at the same time. I see great ponetial in these guys!!
• Great lunch at Anes mums place. haven’t had that type of Samoan toonai (lunch ) for a some time!!
•  LOTS to do this next week… appreciate the prayers!  I will be focusing more on studying this week.

ENDZONE

Be in the Zone this Weekend!!

I love my church

I wanted to find out what we are doing really well as a church that draws people to LifeChurch and stay in church. So two weeks ago I started asking people why they keep coming to LifeChurch. I gave them a fill in the blank question.

I love my church because_______________________________

Come back next week for answers!

REPENT!

I have been writing a regular column on Samoa Times Newspaper for the last six years. The last two years I have been teaching on the Book of Revelation. I am now on Chapter 21.

After all the doom and gloom stuff, deception, wars, rebellion, killing people and so on……Chapter 21 starts with “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth……..” then it talks about the new heaven and God wiping every tear…no more pain…. And so on…all encouraging stuff….. Until I came to verse 8. It talks about the people that will die a second death ( a less gory way of saying ‘thrown in the lake of fire where there is gnashing of teeth and will be tormented forever and ever…)

Anyway the disturbing thing for me is the fact that the list of the type of people that will die a second death, starts with the Cowards.

I can understand the unbelieving, the murderers, the sexual perverts, the sorcerers, liars….and all those people going to hell. But why Cowards???

The fact is this God hates cowardness. (my spellchecker says it incorrect spelling, …no such word……try cowardice..,I like the sound of cowardness better).

I have been thinking about where we are as Christians in this hour.

As followers of Christ are we living an adventurers, dangerous, fearless, no shame, no holding back, hell shaking, devil mouth kicking, soul rescuing type lives. Are we part of a church that is bold enough, brave enough, crazy enough to do whatever it takes to reach people with the love of Jesus Christ and transform community, (by shifting cultures and breaking traditions, even changing the order of the service in order to connect with people, ).

or are we a tired, irrelevant, ineffective, toothless, boring, stuck and stuck up, cowardness, religious heavenly minded with no earthly good type church.

If cowardness is listed together in the same level as liars, sexual immorals, idolaters etc…. then here this:

COWARDNESS is SIN.

Here’s my ‘hell fire and brimstone’ message for today.

REPENT!!!